KiOR (Pasadena, TX) will halt production at its Columbus, MS cellulosic fuel plant during the first quarter of this year to implement a series of optimization measures at the facility, Fred Cannon, CEO, said on an earnings call on 10 January. "We have decided to operate the Columbus facility during the first quarter of 2014 only to the extent we want to test and prove our optimization projects," Cannon says. The work will increase the feed capacity of the plant from 250-300 m.t./day of biomass. Overall the company is seeking to eliminate structural...